The Blue Ribbon
People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centred Love them anyway If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway The good you do today will be...
Who packed your parachute?
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Tim 2:15 Charles Plumb was a U.S navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air...
Taking Aim
A young lady name Sally, related an experience she had in a seminary class, given by her teacher, professor Smith. She said Professor Smith was known for his elaborate object lessons. One particular day, Sally walked in and knew they were in for another interesting...
Anyway
People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centred Love them anyway If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway The good you do today will be...
Oprah Winfrey and Billy Graham
Last year I watched Billy Graham being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey on television. Oprah told him that in her childhood home, she used to watch him preach on a little black and white TV while sitting on a linoleum floor. She went on to tell viewers that in his...
Lesson’s from Noah’s Ark
Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lam 3:23 Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or …I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.Today I can grumble about my health or…I can rejoice that I am alive.Today I...
Today
Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or …I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.Today I can grumble about my health or…I can rejoice that I am alive.Today I can mourn my lack of friends or…I can excitedly embark upon a quest to...
Choices
“If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.” Romans 14:18 Jerry is the manager of a restaurant in America. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he...
Rules of Wisdom
God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts. Dear God. I have a problem. It’s me. Growing old is inevitable; growing UP is optional. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open. Silence is often misinterpreted but never misquoted. Do the math. Count...
Criticism
In “A Closer Walk”, Catherine Marshall writes: “One morning last week He gave me an assignment: for one day I was to go on a ‘fast’ from criticism. I was not to criticize anybody about anything. For the first half of the day, I simply felt a void, almost as if I had...
A 9-11 Story
“All things work together for good for those who love the Lord who serve Him according to His purpose” Romans 8:28 My father also had more news for me; he was going to help. ‘This is not something I can just sit by for, I have to do something.’ I was concerned for his...
In Step with God
The raw, direct encounters with God experienced by Old Testament Kings and prophets, give a huge insight into God’s character. As we see Israel’s rebellion after rebellion against God, even after repeatedly experiencing His miraculous hand and power, there are those...
Building God’s House
When King David, the “man after God’s own heart”, purposed in his heart to build a house for God, God’s response was “I will build you a house”. God proceeds to say that David’s son will build God’s house and God would establish him rock solid and His reign forever....
From Trust to Statistics?
Over the past year I have invested in multiple investment products and have seen volatility that has not been seen over years. It is easy to count assets in terms of financial value and net worth. There are times God blesses us with financial assets, there are times...
Disabilities
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me . . . for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14, NIV) I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to...
Why Me
Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Isisah 45:9 Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player was diagnosed with AIDS. From world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which said: “Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease?” To...
Six Lessons from an Eagle
“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isiah 40:31 1. Eagles fly alone at a high altitude and not with sparrows or mix with other smaller...
The ant and the contact lens
Brenda was a young woman who was invited to go rock climbing. Although she was very scared, she went with her group to a tremendous granite cliff. In spite of her fear, she put on the gear, took a hold on the rope, and started up the face of that rock. Well, she got...
God’s Embroidery
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;” Psalm 139:13When I was a little boy, my mother used to embroider a great deal. I would sit at her knee and look up from the floor and...
The Bouquet
Sandra felt as low as the heels of her expensive shoes as she pushed against a November gust and the florist shop door. Her life had been easy, like spring breeze. Then in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole her ease. During...
The Trouble Tree
I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after he had just finished a rough first day on the job, a flat tire made him lose an hour of work & his electric drill quit, his ancient one-ton truck refused to start. As I drove him home, he sat in...
The Booster Rocket
A rocket launch is truly an amazing phenomenon to me. Tons of weight is stacked vertically to the sky with thousands of gallons of fuel exploding in a matter of moments. Soon the rocket drops its take-off boosters and uses additional boosters to...
The Blue Ribbon
..not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near. Heb 10:25 A teacher in New York decided to honor each of her Seniors in high school by telling them the difference...
A Teacher’s Heart
There is a story many years ago of an elementary teacher. Her name was Mrs. Thompson. And as she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved...
Triple Filter Test
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Phil 4:8 In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem....
Memorial to our Son
"Treat everyone the same." James 2:1 A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President's outer office. The secretary...
Clay Balls
I remember reading a story once about a man who was exploring some caves by the seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled up some clay and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn't look...
The Maimed Soldier
"Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." Romans 15:7 A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco. "Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've...
Terror on the Highway
"Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress". (Psalm 107:28-30) 50 Christian truckers got together to pray that somehow the sniper terrorizing the Washington, DC area would be caught. Ron Lantz would be retiring as a driver...
Hot water bottle
This story was told by a woman who was a doctor in Africa. One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty...
An Empty Chair
"For me to live is Christ and to die is gain" Phil 1:21 A man's daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed....
A Letter
"The LORD is far from the wicked: but he hears the prayer of the righteous." Prov 16:29 As you got up this morning, I watched you and hoped you would talk to me, even if it was just a few words, asking my opinion or thanking me for something good that happened in your...
The Power of Prayer
A missionary on furlough told this true story while visiting his home church in Michigan... While serving at a small field hospital in Africa, every two weeks I traveled by bicycle through the jungle to a nearby city for supplies. This was a journey of two days and...
An Incredible Story
In the 1930s, Stalin ordered a purge of all Bibles and all believers in the former Soviet Union. Millions of Bibles were confiscated and multitudes of believers were sent to the gulags (prison camps), where most died for being "enemies of the state." In Stavropol,...
Angels in school
"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;" Psalm 91:1 A pastor read a letter from an elementary school teacher who attends East Hill Church.The gist of the letter was as follows: Last school year, her classroom was made up of little...
Daffodils
He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the...
Dreams
"For nothing is impossible with God." Luke 1:37 The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a...
But I know her
"..but the greatest of these is love" 1 Cor 13:13 It was a busy morning, approximately 8:30 am, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's, arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He stated that he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. I took his...
Love…always perseveres
"Love never fails" 1 Cor 13:8 Taking a midweek afternoon off turned into a delightful break from the normal pressure of daily duties. The sun filtered gently through the leaves of the tree under which I was sitting, forming delicate shadows that danced like carefree...
Bridges
"Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed might cross over?" - Isaiah 51:10 bridge n. 1. A structure spanning and providing passage over an obstacle. 2. Something resembling or...
Losing the Romance
"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things". I Cor 13:7 My husband is an Engineer by profession, I love him for his steady nature, and I love the warm feeling when I lean against his broad shoulders. Three years of courtship and...
Birthday Celebration
I had a dream, Joseph. I don't understand it, not really, but I think it was about a birthday celebration for our son. I think that was what it was all about. The people had been preparing for it for about six weeks. They had decorated the house and bought new...
Bitter or sweet?
At the University of Chicago Divinity School each year, they have what is called "Baptist Day." On this day each one is to bring a lunch to be eaten outdoors in a grassy picnic area. Every "Baptist Day" the school would invite one of the greatest minds to lecture in...
We reap what we sow
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." Gal 6:7 In light of the shooting by an alleged 16-year old at the Washington National Zoo, someone wrote: Dear God, Why didn't you save the little girl in Michigan? Sincerely, Concerned Student And...
Funny isn’t it?
Funny how Rs.100/- looks so big when we take it to church and so small when we take it to the store. Funny how big an hour serving God looks and how small 60 minutes are when spent playing ball, fishing or golfing. Funny how laborious it is to read a chapter in the...
Barbers don’t exist
"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20 A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut...
Resume of Jesus Christ
Address: Ephesians 1:20 Phone: Romans 10:13 Website: The Bible. Keywords: Christ, Lord, Savior and Jesus Hello. My name is Jesus -The Christ. Many call me Lord! I've sent you my resume because I'm seeking the top management position in your heart. Please consider my...
Recalls
With all the chatter these days about "recalls" on a certain model of automobile and with my hobby of "working" with computers, this seems like a worthy and timely message to pass on to my many friends. RECALL NOTICE: The Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling...
Desire
A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited...
Remember the Duck
"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." Isaiah 43:25 There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. And he was given a slingshot to play without in the woods. He practiced in the woods,...
The Geese and the Snowstorm
".. he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." Philippians 2:7 There was once a man who did not believe in either the virgin birth of Christ or the spiritual meaning behind it, and was skeptical even about God. He...
57 cents
"..the righteous give generously". Psalm 37:21 A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was "too crowded." "I can't go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by. Seeing her shabby, unkempt...
Dear Mom, Thank You
"But there's also this, it's not too late...." Joel 2:12 When you came into the world, she held you in her arms. You thanked her by wailing like a banshee. When you were one year old, she fed you and bathed you. You thanked her by crying all night long. When your...
The other woman
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you". Exodus 20:12 After 21 years of marriage, I discovered a new way of keeping alive the spark of love. A little while ago I had started to go out with...
To be or not to be?
"You knit me in my mother’s womb . . . nor was my frame unknown to you when I was made in secret" (Psalm 139:13,15) In today’s society with the application of situation ethics, some areas of our reasoning have grayed from either black or white. I would like you to...
The girl with apples
"..the righteous give generously". Psalm 37:21 A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was "too crowded." "I can't go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by. Seeing her shabby, unkempt...
Where were you when my son needed you?
Sally jumped up as soon as she saw the Surgeon come out of the operating room. She said: "How is my little boy? Is he going to be O.K.? When can I see him?"The Surgeon said, "I'm sorry, we did all we could."Sally said, "Why do little children get cancer, doesn’t GOD...
The old cowboy
Once an old cowboy, feeling himself in need of religion, determined to visit a congregation in a town where he was stopping. When the appointed time arrived, the fellow entered the church and took his seat. Although his clothes were spotlessly clean, he wore jeans, a...
Why go to church?
A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me I can't remember...
For Always – A Russian Christmas Story
In 1994, two Americans answered an invitation from the Russian Department of Education to teach morals and ethics (based on biblical principles) in the public schools. They were invited to teach at prisons, businesses, the fire and police departments and a large...